Michael was afforded a good education and upbringing, and attended Saint Thomas Academy, which is an all–boys military high school located in suburban Saint Paul. During his teen-age years, he became deeply involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement and through it, experienced a closer relationship with the Lord. This had a great impact on his desire to follow the Lord in pursuing a vocation to the religious life in the Catholic Church.

Br. Michael with Pope John Paul II

As a young man Michael experienced a “Franciscan conversion” as he called it, after reading the “Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi,” also known as the “Fioretti.” This little book changed Michael’s life; he fell in love with the Saint from Assisi and Franciscan spirituality. After graduating from high school in 1977, Michael visited several religious communities in an effort to discern his vocation.